Lighters with piezo-electric ignition

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:16 pm

I was told in a recent Sierra Club class that lighters with piezo-electric ignition don't work well at altitude. I couldn't get either of my lighters with piezo-electric ignition to function this past weekend at about 8000'. At the end of the day, I drove back down ACH, and they performed just fine.

On the other hand, I've used a Jet Boil with with piezo-electric ignition at 10000' with no difficulty.

Anyone know what gives here?

Can anyone recommend a really reliable lighter that works at 10,000'+?

Post by **Taco** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 5:19 pm

My Snow Peak works every so often. At 8600ft yesterday afternoon, I had to click it many times to turn it on. Sometimes I use a match or lighter. Bic lighters work well; the cheap ones.

hvydrt · Post by **hvydrt** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 5:37 pm

i use bic lighters, never had a problem.

muddeer · Post by **muddeer** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:12 pm

I had trouble lighting my JetBoil with its piezo igniter; higher the altitude, more gas I had to release to light. And often required many "clicks". Tried putting in a new igniter; didn't help. Due to too little oxygen supposedly. So I removed the igniter and now just use a Bic lighter. Worked fine at 19k'. Bic is used by people climbing 8000 meter peaks.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:49 pm

OK, so people are having similar experiences to mine. Sounds like JetBoil's piezo electric ignighter is better than the little one in my lighter but even JetBoil has problems when you get higher and one simply uses a bic to compensate.

Thanks, guys

bertfivesix · Post by **bertfivesix** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:30 am

I can attest to my piezo Colibri jet butane lighter being no-go for lighting my Whisperlite ~ 8000'. I think Taco can bear witness to my string of profanities. Had to borrow Fritz's Bic lighter which worked just fine.

Post by **Taco** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:51 pm

I've used multiple jet lighters, including a Colibri, at aroun 10k, and they were generally a no-go.

The Bic is the only thing 'd suggest. 8)

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:58 pm

Crud. I was hoping for something more reliable than a regular Bic. Bics are great most of the time, but they're not very useful in the wind. I guess lifeboat matches would be the best in the wind.

Interestingly, I was able to light my stove using my piezo ignition even though I never did get the butane from the lighter to ignite. I took a piece of Tinder Quik, see http://www.bestglide.com/Tinder_Quik_Info.html, fluffed it up really well, and applied the piezo coil directly to the Tinder Quik. The piezo coil, though it could not ignite the gas, did light the Tinder Quik which in turn lit the stove fuel. Quite a bit of a kludge.

Next time: Bic or life boat matches. Other suggestions welcome...

phydeux · Post by **phydeux** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:09 pm

I use Bic-style lighters and they work OK; I generally take a few so I'll have a back-up. Another option for a lighter is a torch lighting device used for lighting propane or oxy-acetylene torches. These are simple 'flint-on-steel' spring loaded devices that create a good sized spark. I've used one in SoCal in the winter up to about 9000 ft with no problems. I got mine for free, but you can find them at most hardware stores.